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Entertainment One signs on new licensing partners for Peppa Pig’s sake

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Entertainment One signs on new licensing partners for Peppa Pig’s sake

In order to grow the presence of consumer products of Peppa Pig in North America, Entertainment One (eOne) has signed on new licensing partners.

With 1,000-plus licensees worldwide, the brand generates more than US$1.2 billion in global retail sales per year.

Incoming licensees include CSS Industries and PTI Group while Amscan, Kurt S. Adler and Palamon have all renewed their deals.

While CSS Industries will produce seasonal classroom exchange products and accessories for Valentine’s Day and Easter, PTI Group will create character treat buckets for parties and Halloween.

Amscan will continue with its activity to roll out party goods including tableware, decorations, favors and invitations while Kurt S. Adler will manufacture more Christmas ornaments and decorations. Palamon is also on board for additional branded Halloween costumes.

Peppa Pig airs on Nick Jr. in the US and Treehouse TV in Canada.

 

11-year Chilean girl Luciana Vega is American Girl’s girl of the year

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11-year Chilean girl Luciana Vega is American Girl’s girl of the year

Mattel’s premium brand American Girl has been trying strategies to inspire young females round the year.

Continuing its strategy of introducing diverse, inspiring young female characters, Mattel’s premium brand American Girl has revealed that its 2018 Girl of the Year is a 11-year-old girl called Luciana Vega, a creative, confident aspiring astronaut of Chilean descent who dreams of being the first person to go to Mars.

Launched on January 1 at North American retail, the 18-inch Luciana doll features a range of STEM-inspired outfits that reflect the character’s Space Camp experiences.

Other accessories include Luciana’s Maker Station and Mars Habitat for science and research experiments. The first two titles in a Scholastic book series written by author Erin Teagan are now available.

As for school initiatives, American Girl has partnered with Scholastic, NASA and Space Camp to fund Blast Off to Discovery.

The educational programme is aimed to help children from 3 to 5 to learn about space through Luciana-inspired content including STEM-based lesson plans, classroom activities, videos and a game. The programme will launch on www.scholastic.com beginning January 31.

American Girl and Scholastic will also host a Mission to Mars Sweepstakes where families can embark on a series of weekly missions based on Luciana’s stories. Prizes include a trip to Space Camp valued at more than US$2,000.

And in a first for the American Girl brand, girls can unlock exclusive Luciana content including augmented reality, trailers, videos, space simulations, quizzes and challenges by downloading the American Girl app and scan the character’s catalogue pages and product.

Additional Luciana initiatives include a special online section of www.play.americangirl.com, an American Girl World app that will be released later this month on the Apple App Store, Google Play and Amazon Kindle and a Luciana-themed Space Camp that will launch this summer.

Despite American Girl’s progressive stance on inclusivity and diversity, the brand experienced a 30% worldwide gross sales decline in Mattel’s Q3.

The toy company attributed the drop to lower licensing income and initial sales in 2016 through external distribution channels. North American gross sales also dropped by 29% to US$88 million.

 

Two 15-year lads of Jaipur create 2D game named Alter Army

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Two 15-year lads of Jaipur create 2D game named Alter Army

We Indians are deeply rooted to cricket, movies with a strong belief in mythology. May be that is the reason why our game developers usually focus on Bollywood, cricket, or mythology as themes for their titles though with good reason. No wonder then that Vague Pixels’ Alter Army is an exception to the rule.

The game is an upcoming 2D fast-paced action-adventure and in a style reminiscent to retro-games of yore. It’s in line with what one would expect from the days of the Nintendo Entertainment System and just as tough.

Vague Pixels is a creation of two 15-year-old students from Jaipur Mridul Pancholi and Mridul Bansal who have been working on Alter Army for over a year.

Earlier, Pancholi was already a game developer, or that matter he used to make small games for fun and used to upload it on Game Jolt and Edge. And Bansal was a tech geek interested in game development. He started to learn Unreal. But then when he changed schools he met Pancholi.

Whenever they met in private, they used to talk about these things a lot. After a year or two, Pancholi came out with the idea of working together on a project as practice. We thought of a one month target when they have to complete this project. Obviously this expanded a lot, according to Bansal.

While playing Alter Army, the two noticed a resemblance to the likes of a host of indie rogue likes that pepper Steam such as Dead Cells and Nuclear Throne.

Admiting Bansal said that their first inspiration was Broforce [a 2D run-and-gun video game] when they started the project but then the game turned around a lot as they added more systems and features.

While redoing several changes, they took inspiration from other titles like Nuclear Throne as well. The game feel in Alter Army has been inspired by Nuclear Throne and Risk of Rain with some bits from Broforce and Dead Cells too.

Besides from playing the aforementioned games, they drew inspiration from the likes of popular game design YouTube channel Extra Credits and Game Developer Conference (GDC) Talks to hone their skills.

With a significantly expanded scope came derision from all corners. The duo faced skepticism from those at home and in school.

Since they were too small, their parents didn’t support them a lot at the beginning. They used to think that the two were wasting time for nothing.

As a  matter of fact, they were asked to focus on school where their teachers used to mock them categorically stating that if they  couldn’t do their homework properly, how could they make a game.

Days passed till it was a year they were on to the game. Everyone saw the game’s potential and the attention it was getting and they stopped teasing them.

Referring to Vague Pixels showing the game off at the Nasscom Game Developer Conference, India’s only game developer event. It was met with critical acclaim and was nominated for Upcoming Game of the Year.

Now it was time when the teachers stopped mocking at them. Their friends patted their back saying that we’re doing a good a job and as a matter of fact doing something special. Parents saw the potential. After his father went with them to NGDC, the first time they were there, he saw a lot of potential. Calming down a bit, he advised them to do what they were doing as a half time work and to school the other half time.

This kind of adulation tempted the two to drop out of school and focus solely on game development.

Shifting the conversation to Alter Army, Bansal said that theu=y would ship the game with four characters to choose from, each with different abilities.

While the game was being lauded for its aggression Bansal is of the feel that it’s not been implemented perfectly yet. He admits that this was not going to be a cake walk either.

Bansal avers that the more one plays aggressively, the more the energy bar of the player will charge and the more one can play efficiently.

For now, Alter Army is due to hit Steam Early Access around January 25, though Bansal cautions that the date isn’t set yet. He thinks it should be priced at between $5 to $7.

 

Premier League in a partnership with Ranveer Singh

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Premier League in a partnership with Ranveer Singh

After the Premier League got into an official partnership with Bollywood  film star Ranveer Singh, the star will take on an ambassadorial role for the League to help promote it and its community initiatives in India.

In this ambassadorial role, Ranveer will be working to support the League’s community initiatives across India, promote fan events and share his passion for the game.

This partnership builds on the Premier League’s existing commitment to fans and development of the game in India. The League recently hosted an international fan park in Bengaluru, which saw more than 20,000 Indian fans engage with clubs and activities.

The Bollywood star is a passionate football fan and will help promote the Premier League among fans in India and globally.

The Premier League has been supporting the development of the game at both a grassroots and elite level in India and running the international community programme Premier Skills there since 2007.

Premier Skills is a global coaching and referee development programme which uses football as a tool to engage and develop the skills of young people. The programme is run in partnership with the British Council, the Sports Authority of India and the Indian Super League. Since the programme’s inception a decade ago, Premier Skills projects have trained more than 1,000 local coaches and referees while reaching more than 78,000 young people in the country.

This partnership with Ranveer will also strengthen the relationship between the Premier League and the ISL which was first formalised in 2014, when a mutual cooperation agreement between the two was signed. This alliance has seen the two leagues exchange knowledge, strategic support and ideas around the development of the game at all levels. Ranveer, a lifelong supporter of Arsenal FC, closely follows Premier League action throughout the season.

 

 

Silva International Investments acquires majority stake in Globe Soccer

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Silva International Investments acquires majority stake in Globe Soccer

Silva International Investments has acquired a majority stake in Globe Soccer, the company which organizes and owns the rights of the annual Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai.

Since the establishment of the Awards in 2010, the event has become one of the most eagerly awaited and coveted football awards ceremony in a year.

Announcing the partnership in a media release, Silva International said, “Silva International is delighted to invest in Globe Soccer. The Globe Soccer Awards are renowned in soccer and sports circles as one of the most high-profile awards ceremonies in the sporting calendar. The Dubai Sports Council and Tommaso Bendoni deserve great credit for putting this fabulous event together and we look forward to working with them.

“We are confident that our investment as well as our expertise across the worlds of sport, media, and entertainment, can make the Globe Soccer Awards an even better event in the years ahead,” the investment company CEO Marco Auletta stated in the release.

Working in close collaboration with the Dubai Sports Council, Tommaso Bendoni of Bendoni Consulting will continue to head the organisation of the awards and remain a minority shareholder.

Responding to the announcement, Tommaso Bendoni said that this partnership with Silva International Investments is the best possible fit for Globe Soccer as it looks to the future. With the Dubai Sports Council’s ever-enthusiastic support over the last nine years, Globe Soccer has become a fixture in the football calendar, celebrating the most prestigious talent in the game.

“On the eve of the 2018 World Cup, Dubai has opened its doors to football to build bridges with every country through this magnificent sport. With great events coming up like the Expo and our own star-studded awards gala in December, Globe Soccer and the Emirates are ready to take our place in the new football world. Our partnership with Silva International means we can take Globe Soccer beyond the Gulf to other emerging football nations and we plan to celebrate our 10th anniversary next year with special events in China and the USA. Riccardo Silva and his team have the drive, the talent and the international experience to get us to the next level and we couldn’t be more excited to have them on board,” he added.

 

Energy & sports drinks here to stay

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Energy & sports drinks here to stay

Rising health concerns, growing popularity of energy & sports drinks and rise in the number of athletes & sport persons in the country are boosting the energy & sports drinks market.

People normally take energy and sports drinks after having intense workouts in gyms. Extensive and irregular working hours and the increasing occurrence of social gatherings have also been one of the reasons for the adoption of energy & sports drinks in day-to-day life.

According to the recently published report of Bonafide Research India Energy & Sports Drinks Market Outlook, 2021, the total size of energy & sports drinks market is expected to cross a mark of Rs. 2500 crore by 2021.

The market has huge potential in the coming years and the increasing number of players interested to enter this segment is one of the major reasons for the same. Sports and energy drinks contain essential nutrients which work towards rejuvenating the body and boosting the energy.

Hence, sports drinks seem to have become a norm into the fitness world. With so many varieties and flavours available, each brand claims that they just want sportsperson and athletes to stay at the top of their game.

Major companies operating in energy & sports drinks market of India are Red Bull India Private Limited, PepsiCo India Holdings Private Limited, Coca-Cola India Private Limited, Hector Beverages Private Limited, Monster Beverages Private Limited, Goldwin Healthcare Private Limited, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Limited, Heinz India Private Limited, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (Amul), Bisleri International Private Limited and XXX Energy Drinks Private Limited.

PepsiCo Inc. has launched an energy drink called Sting, one of its global brands across organized retail outlets in India.

This is the second attempt by PepsiCo to crack the energy drink market in India. It had earlier launched SoBe in 2008, which was withdrawn from the market soon after.

In India, Sting is available in 250ml cans and will have less than 100 calories. At Rs. 50, Sting is priced much lower than the most-selling energy drink Red Bull which is priced at Rs. 110 for a 250ml can.

The decision made by PepsiCo to re-enter the energy drinks market in India came 10 months after the country’s food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) set limits for caffeine content in energy drinks at a maximum of 300 mg per litre.

In 2017, Coffee Day Enterprises Limited (CDEL) also forayed into the energy drinks market in India. The company, which owns and operates around 1,700 Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) outlets across India and a few international markets, has introduced energy drink beverage under the brand ‘Storm’.

In the next two to three years, they are expecting to acquire a decent share in this space by banking on the brand power. Having sold a lakh cans in one month period just after the launch, the company is now targeting bigger volumes this fiscal and beyond. It will also look to increase production capacity. Leveraging their brand distribution learning from this launch, they expect to introduce similar products in the coming quarters. The beverage priced at Rs. 100 per can is being sold primarily through CCD outlets across Lounge, Square, Express and Coffee Point formats.

The company’s cafe network stands at 1,694 outlets across 243 cities in India as of June 2017. It added gross 32 cafes in the first quarter of fiscal 2018 and plans to add 135 stores annually over the next two to three years.

Moto, the made in UAE energy drink, has also been launched across India last year enrooted to a committed growth strategy of completing the availability of the product across 33 countries. The said drink is an unique beverage product that combines all the elements that creates an energy drink which delivers great taste and a simple yet astonishing look and feel.

In order to reach to the consumers of India, Moto has partnered with Aish Adventures Pvt. Ltd. of Delhi. Moto is poised to reach out to the pan-India consumers with its widest distribution channel consisting of 20 expert and professional super stockists and 200 experienced distributors. The brand’s ambition is to represent the UAE’s heritage, lifestyle and values to the Indian consumer.

The next player in the line is Fashion TV, better known as FTV. It is the global authority in fashion domain and is equally popular for fashion merchandise and consumable products sold through its brand licensing globally. Its brand F88 – a new alcoholic luxury energy drink which is popular in over 55 markets worldwide, is now moving ahead to penetrate into the Indian market. F88 contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and it can be enjoyed straight as a mixer.

Phonographic Performance Limited appoints Rajat Kakar as managing director

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Phonographic Performance Limited appoints Rajat Kakar as managing director

Phonographic Performance Limited mostly known as PPL to many has appointed Rajat Kakar as its new managing director.

Kakar will assume leadership responsibility for the functioning of PPL India which is headquartered in Mumbai. PPL has been operating for over 70 years and is platform for collective licensing for more than 250 music labels.

He comes to PPL with over two decades of experience in the media and entertainment business with extremely successful stints at Sony Music India where he was part of the start-up team which raised the professional standards of the entire music industry.

Subsequently he turned around Universal Music India as its managing director and made it the market leader in international music. He successfully morphed the company to adapt to the emerging digital landscape whilst foraying into pioneering new business development initiatives.

Before PPL, Kakar headed Sony DADC India and has made the company a leader in the packaged entertainment media and represents content from leading film studios and labels in India.

Prior to joining the music industry, Kakar had worked with leading companies such as Asian Paints and Procter & Gamble.

Rajat is well versed in music copyrights and their management. He will also ensure Sony DADC India has a smooth management transition over the course of the next few months.

Rajat Kakar commented, “I am excited to lead PPL into an exciting new phase in its life cycle. The new copyright act coupled with clear demarcation of rights along with tools and technology available to monitor and monetize the usage of content offers immense potential for growth. I look forward to working with stakeholders and users alike to create an environment of respect for Intellectual property and transparent pricing policies by imbibing best practices from across the globe.”

Saregama MD Vikram Mehra adds, “As a member of PPL, we look forward to PPL completely reinventing itself, both in terms of strategy and processes, under the able leadership of Rajat Kakar.”

GMS accuses SunFrog of trademark infringement

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GMS accuses SunFrog of trademark infringement

Violation of Brand Licensing could sometimes prove a dangerous proposition ad land one in a soup.

A similar thing is about to happen when recently, British brand merchandiser Global Merchandising Services (GMS) accused custom T-shirt designer SunFrog of trademark infringement, in violation of the Lanham Act. GMS filed its claim at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on December 28 last year.

GMS alleged that through this platform, SunFrog has been promoting, manufacturing and selling consumer products bearing designs which are identical or confusingly similar to those of the artists affiliated with GMS, infringing the intellectual property rights of the artists’ respective brands.

“The GMS artists are the owners of certain intellectual property rights in and to the GMS artists’ brands, such as internationally registered and unregistered trademarks, copyrights, and publicity rights,” GMS said.

The four causes of action listed on the claim are direct trademark counterfeiting; direct infringement of registered and unregistered trademarks; contributory trademark infringement and counterfeiting under the Lanham Act; and false designation of origin, passing off and unfair competition.

The matter was first raised by GMS in a cease and desist letter to SunFrog on July 7, 2016. GMS alleged that the defendant has continued to manufacture, promote, and sell the infringing products, knowingly and intentionally violating GMS’s and its artists’ rights. The claim noted that more than 120 listings had been reported to the defendant for infringement at the time of filing.

GMS is seeking a preliminary and permanent injunction, as well as triple damages and profits from SunFrog of up to $2 million, and any other relief deemed just and equitable by the court.

Headquartered in London and Los Angeles, GMS is the sole and exclusive worldwide merchandise licensee for musical groups and performing artists including Mötley Crüe, Alice Cooper, and Motörhead.

SunFrog is a Michigan-based operator of an online platform which designs and sells print-on-demand clothing products to consumers, who are invited to upload designs onto the website, to be printed on SunFrog products at its manufacturing facilities.

 

Funrise in a multi-year partnership with Paramount Pictures for Amusement Park

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Funrise in a multi-year partnership with Paramount Pictures for Amusement Park

California-based toy manufacturer Funrise has entered into a multi-year partnership to serve as global master toy partner for Paramount Pictures’ animated feature film Amusement Park.

Funrise will create a line that includes figures, play sets, plush, role-play and collectibles.

Amusement Park is slated for a March 2019 release in the US and Funrise’s products are set to roll out globally early next year.

Produced by Paramount Animation, Nickelodeon Movies and Ilion Animation Studios, the 3D-animated adventure/comedy features a voice cast including Matthew Broderick, Jennifer Garner, Kenan Thompson, Ken Jeong, Mila Kunis, John Oliver and Jeffrey Tambor.

Additionally, Paramount and Nickelodeon have announced an animated Amusement Park TV series is in development for 2020.

In September, Space Race tapped Funrise as global master toy partner for its animated pre-school series Space Racers. The toy line will hit global retailers this fall. And in June, Funrise was named global master toy licensee by Saban Brands and Cirque du Soleil Média for the animated pre-school brand Luna Petunia.

 

Gautam Thakar to head the sports biz of Star Sports

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Gautam Thakar to head the sports biz of Star Sports

 

Nine months after the resignation of Nitin Kukreja as chief executive officer, Star Sports, Star India has roped in Gautam Thakar to head the sports biz.

Thakar, who will take up his new role on January 15, will join the network as CEO, Star Sports and will report to Sanjay Gupta, managing director Star India.

Thakar, who has over 20 years’ experience across various industries is currently working with Washington DC based investment firm Revolution Ventures.

He started his career with P&G as brand manager and then moved on to eBay India as country manager. After close to a decade of association with the e-commerce platform Thakar moved to NextGen Ventures in 2017 as ventures partner.

 

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